The path along the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline in Mandeville is one of the most popular places in the city to take a late afternoon stroll, go for a run or take the dog out for some exercise. But later this spring, the bridge that links the two sides of the path where it crosses Ravine Aux Coquille will be removed so that a new span can be put in place.

Once it begins, the work will take about two weeks to complete. During construction, pedestrians will have to loop around the work site onto Lakeshore Drive to cross the waterway.

Mandeville Public Works Director David deGeneres said the replacement bridge is being precast offsite. Until then, the existing span, which was damaged by Hurricane Isaac in 2012, will remain in use.

Mayor Donald Villere has said the existing bridge poses no danger to pedestrians, but could eventually become unsafe if it is not replaced. FEMA is expected to cover 75 percent of the cost of replacing the span.

In February, the city received bids from eight companies seeking the bridge replacement job, with Sealevel Construction Inc., of Thibodeaux coming in as the lowest responsible bidder. The council last month authorized Villere to sign a $235,964 construction contract with the company to install a new walkway over the Ravine Aux Coquille.

The contract will cover all labor, materials and supervision to replace the bridge, located on the south side of Lakeshore Drive near the seawall. It spans the waterway and is part of the popular pedestrian path that parallels the lakeshore.

The bridge is one of two pedestrian spans that cross Ravine Aux Coquille, which flows into the lake. The other bridge is located on the north side of Lakeshore Drive along a sidewalk in front of residences.